Brentwood Baptist Sunday Worship Messages (Video)
Messages presented by Senior Pastor Mike Glenn and guest speakers during Sunday morning worship services at Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, TN USA (www.brentwoodbaptist.com)
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Contents
Connecting the Dots: Between Intention & Obedience
If you're familiar with this story, then you know Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love Me?," and three times Jesus tells Peter, "Feed My sheep."
This is the way of Jesus -- a never-ending cycle of connecting to Christ. Jesus comes to us, calls us into a relationship. Jesus returns to us, always reconnecting us, even when we have forsaken Him. But the cycle is not complete until we are connecting others. Once you have a relationship with Jesus, you can be sure He'll give you an assignment. He'll send you in search of sheep. He'll show you somebody to shepherd.
Scripture reference: John 21:15-19
Sun, 03 May 2009 09:00:00 CDT
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Connecting the Dots: Between What I Heard & What I Know
Thomas's story teaches us that God has no "grandchildren." The experience with Jesus has to be yours. The encounter has to be yours. Other people's testimonies can intrigue, provoke, and compel you to come and see, but they can't take you into a relationship. We have to get one-on-one with Jesus. Belief is personal. What do you know for sure from personal experience with Jesus?
Scripture reference: John 20:19-31
Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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Connecting the Dots: Between Confusion & Confidence
Christ is risen! Last Sunday, we celebrated that truth in such a powerful way. It was one of those experiences we call a "spiritual mountaintop." How do we follow the spiritual mountaintop of the empty tomb? We follow it by responding to the same truth: Christ is risen! And because He's risen, He calls us to move on with Him into the days that follow.
Scripture reference: John 20:10-18
Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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Connecting the Dots: Between Promise & Reality
John says that when Peter went into the tomb, he saw that Jesus wasn't there. When John went in, he saw the evidence and believed that Jesus was resurrected. But neither of them understood the implications of what had happened.
The Greek word for "understand" implies that they didn't know how to connect the dots between their experience and what the Scripture said about their experience. Isn't this our problem? We may believe that Jesus was resurrected, but that's only being sure it's true -- it's just theology.
We need the ability to connect the dots between that truth and our current experience. Why does it matter that Jesus was resurrected? How does it change the way we live?
Scripture reference: John 20:1-9
Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:00:00 CDT
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It Is Finished
It is finished! The Greek word spoken by Jesus from the cross meant that something was accomplished. In the general Greek, it could mean "to carry out someone's will," "to complete something on behalf of others," "to fulfill an obligation or a debt," "to carry through on a plan or promise," or even "to fulfill the obligations of religious duties," such as the duties of a priest to offer sacrifices.
In John's Gospel, it means that on the cross, in His suffering and dying, Jesus completed the work of God to redeem His people. In fulfilling God's promise, He was both the priest and the sacrifice offered once and for all.
This week, we contemplate what this means for us. We study John's eyewitness account of this moment in history. And we remember and celebrate His finishing work.
Scripture reference: John 19:17-30
Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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What Is Truth?
"What is truth?" Pilate asked Jesus. It's a question at the heart of the postmodern worldview, one in which truth is considered relative: what's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me.
In a culture absent of absolute truth, Christians dare to make the outrageous claim that Jesus is "the" truth -- that His Word has absolute authority. But Jesus told Pilate, "Everyone who cares for truth listens to My voice."
Even on trial for His life, Jesus knew a seeker when He saw one. He offered Pilate the opportunity to know the truth that would set Him free. He continues to speak His truth into this present culture of seekers, skeptics, and confused believers. Are you listening?
Scripture reference: John 18:28-38
Sun, 29 Mar 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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I Am the Way
The Scripture displayed in our Atrium is taken from this passage: "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
Every week, every day, our members pass under this statement as they go back and forth from worship to discipleship to service, as they come in and go back out to the places where they live, work, and play. Yet we know from today's story that it's possible to be with Jesus for a long time but not really know Him.
Jesus didn't come to teach us a way to God; He is the way to God! What path are you trying to take to God? What do you need to do in order to know The Way, Jesus Christ?
Scripture reference: John 14:1-11
Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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I Am the Example
What comes to mind when you think of Christianity? Unfortunately, for most people in our world, the first word that comes to mind isn't the one word that Jesus said should define us -- love (see John 13:34-35).
Today, we continue our journey through the Gospel of John. We're going to look at a passage where Jesus doesn't just teach us about love but He also shows us the kind of love that grabs people's attention and radically redefines perceptions. In the powerful symbolic act of washing the feet of His disciples, Jesus displays love-in-action while giving us a model to follow as we engage the world. He says, "I am the example..." (John 3:15).
We live in a culture where we're used to being served. If our hope is for Christ to use us to bring others to saving faith in Him, then we have to follow the Way of Jesus (in contrast to the ways of the world) by putting our love into action through service.
This week, I will "take up the towel" and put love into action in the following way...
Scripture reference: John 13:1-17
Sun, 15 Mar 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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I Am the Resurrection and the Life
Who really holds my future? This is a crucial question. If Jesus doesn't have the power over my circumstances, over what threatens me—even over life and death, then He's not the Savior I need. He's not the Master into whose hands I can entrust my life.
In our world today, there's a lot of fear about what tomorrow holds. Job layoffs continue as the market nosedives. People we love are diagnosed with illnesses. Suddenly, we're plunged into tomorrows that we don't understand. The hardest part about being human is that there comes a point in life when there's nothing more we can do. Does knowing Jesus help us in these times? That all depends on what we believe.
Today, Jesus asks us the same question He asked Mary and Martha: "I have the power over your future. Do you believe this?"
Scripture reference: John 11:1-45
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 09:15:00 CDT
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I Am the Good Shepherd
Why is this one of the most comforting images of Jesus we have? Because, as the prophet Isaiah says, we all like sheep have gone astray. We have all gone our own way and found ourselves in danger because of it. And we probably will do it again.
"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it." This is what the hymn writer confessed. We know this about ourselves. And we sense this about the world we live in—it's a dangerous place in which to be lost.
Jesus knows this, too. Remember, we are the sheep of His pasture. He's very familiar with our wandering ways. He's equally familiar with the dangers that await us and the cost of rescuing lost sheep. Yet He alone is the one Good Shepherd who is willing and able to rescue us.
Scripture reference: John 10:11
Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Why Can't You See It?
This is the story of Jesus healing a man born physically blind, but it's really a story about spiritual blindness. The truly blind men are the religious leaders who don't recognize and believe the work of God happening right before their eyes. God is also at work around us every day. Do you see it?
Scripture reference: John 9:1-41
Sun, 22 Feb 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Why Are You Here?
It's a question Jesus might ask us whenever we cower before Him in shame or fear, just as the woman caught in the act of adultery did. Our answer would be the same as hers: "My accuser dragged me here." Our accuser is Satan. He's the one who points out all of our failures and secret shame. He's the one who convinces us we deserve God's condemnation, not His love.
Why are you here today? Is it because you've recognized the depth of your sin, been tortured by the voice of your accuser, or received the grace and love of your Savior? Are you here to worship because you've been completely persuaded by how deep the Father's love is for you? If not, may today be the day you hear and believe the freeing words of Jesus, "I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more."
Scripture reference: John 8:2-12
Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Why Are You Hungry?
Why is this the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels? Because it answers a fundamental existential question: Will I have what I need for the journey I'm on in life? The writers of the Gospels wanted their readers to know this about Jesus: He is the same God who not only delivered Israel from slavery, but fed his people manna in the wilderness. He cares about our physical needs, and He provides for us in seemingly impossible situations. We live in equally uncertain times. Job markets are unstable. The financial world is a wilderness. Will you continue to work and worry, to be exhausted but not satisfied? Or will you trust the Bread of Life to provide everything you need?
Scripture reference: John 6:1-15, 25-40
Sun, 08 Feb 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Why Aren't You Well?
We don't know his name -- only that he had been sick for 38 years when he met Jesus by the pool of Bethesda. Jesus asked him a startling question: "Do you want to get well?" It's a question that Jesus might ask any of us if He sat down by us in any pew today. We've struggled for years with old wounds, unhealthy habits, and crippling addictions -- and we're full of excuses for why we can't get well. We can't imagine a life free of whatever hinders us. What keeps you from walking away today transformed by the power of Jesus?
Scripture reference: John 5:1-15
Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:15:00 CST
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High Noon
The subject of our study last week, Nicodemus, could not be more different from the person Jesus engages in our passage this coming Sunday -- the Samaritan woman at the well. Whether He's talking with a religious insider or a social outcast, a rule-keeper or a rule-breaker, Jesus is concerned with one thing -- connecting that person to God in a life-giving, life-sustaining relationship. That should be our agenda. As Jesus put it, "I eat, sleep, and breathe my Father's agenda." Do you?
Scripture reference: John 4:1-42
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:15:00 CST
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More to the Story
If there is any person in John's Gospel who most resembles the modern churchgoer, it's Nicodemus. Jesus challenged every religious theory that Nicodemus had carefully constructed: What is "good?" Who is "in" with God and who is "out?" How do we get there? Nicodemus's dilemma is whether or not he should cling to his religious box or trust that Jesus's way is The Way. Is this your dilemma also?
Scripture reference: John 3:1-21
Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Breaking Every Barrier Down
Why does John move this story out of its chronological order and tell it this early in his Gospel? So that we will understand Jesus's agenda. Out of God's love, Jesus has come to break down every barrier that stands between God and people.
Scripture reference: John 2:13-22
Sun, 11 Jan 2009 09:15:00 CST
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Come & See
When Philip becomes a follower of Jesus, his first act is to go to Nathanael and say, "I think I've found what we are looking for. Come and see." That's the essence of being a Connector. It means you are Philip. So, who is your Nathanael?
Scripture reference: John 1:43-51
Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:00:00 CST
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The First Connectors
God uses connectors -- His people with a story -- to introduce others to Jesus Christ. John and Andrew were among the first connectors; they encountered Jesus and then brought other to Him. What kind of connector are you?
Scripture reference: John 1:29-42
Sun, 28 Dec 2008 09:15:00 CST
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The "Who" Question
Who is God? Jesus has given us the clearest picture we have of the Father.
John says, "We saw Him with our own eyes."
Jesus said, "The one who has seen Me has seen the Father."
This child born to us is God come to us. Merry Christmas!
Scripture reference: John 1:14-18
Sun, 21 Dec 2008 11:00:00 CST
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The "How" Question
John tells us that Jesus came "to His own," the people who should have recognized and received Him -- the Jews. They anxiously looked for how God would work in their time, how He would deliver His promised Messiah. But when God acted, it didn't look like they thought it would, so God's people did not receive, welcome, and join in what God was doing.
Aren't we in danger of doing the same thing? We're full of "how questions" when we come to God: How will this work out? How do I know what to do? How do I make sense of God? We want God to explain Himself, to give us His plan. Instead, He gives us Himself in a person -- Jesus Christ. Will you welcome the gift of this relationship and choose to receive it, so that you can know God and be part of what He's doing?
Scripture reference: John 1:10-13
Sun, 14 Dec 2008 11:00:00 CST
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The "What" Question
Imagine how hard it must be to live life by just making sense of it based on your feelings. Yet this is the way much of the world lives. That's why our culture can't offer any substantive answer to the questions like: What matters in life? What am I here for? What is truth? What am I supposed to do next?
John's gospel reminds us of the Advent good news: Everyone can know what matters in life. Every person can know why they are here. They can recognize truth. There is an answer to life's daily, minute-to-minute question, "What do I do next?" That answer is Jesus—the true light who gives life to every man.
Scripture reference: John 1:4-9
Sun, 07 Dec 2008 11:00:00 CST
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The "Why" Question
The hard questions in life are always the "why" questions. Maybe that's why John begins his introduction of Jesus by calling Him "the Word." Jesus is the "logos" -- the Word who speaks everything into existence. But "logos" also translates as "meaning." Jesus is the Word who speaks us into existence, and He is also the Word who answers the question, "Why am I here?"
Scripture reference: John 1:1-3
Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:00:00 CST
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That Is Mine!
Early 19th-century Dutch politician and theologian, Abraham Kuyper, said, "In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare, 'That is Mine!'."
Those are powerful words! He looks at every part of our private and public lives and says, "That is Mine." He roams the world in all its beauty and pain and says, "That is Mine." He looks at us, His church, and says, "The world is Mine. You are my hands and feet -- so go and reclaim it for Me."
So, how does He propose we do this? We call it missions. Giving to missions -- of our time, energy and resources -- is His world-changing strategy. This week's scripture reference lays out how Christians should give of these things. When we follow the Macedonians' example, we take back, piece by piece, that which Christ declares to be His.
Will you commit every square inch of your life to Him? If we all do, we'll change the world.
Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Sun, 23 Nov 2008 11:00:00 CST
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The One Thing That Matters
As a pastor, you want a lot of things for every member of your church. But at the heart of every desire I have is this one thing: I want every member of Brentwood Baptist to desire Christ above all else. I fear that many of the issues we wrestle with -- stewardship, evangelism, and discipleship -- are only symptoms of the greatest failure of all: We don't want Christ more than we want anything else.
Scripture reference: Philippians 3:7-14
Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:00:00 CST
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A Church That Runs Members Off
If we aren't careful, we can think of church as a destination -- a place to come to, a place to land and stay put. A better understanding of the church is that it's a place to go out from -- a place to be equipped and then deployed. It's a base of operation for our mission. Our success is measured by the number of people we release to the world for kingdom work.
Scripture reference: Acts 13:1-4
Sun, 09 Nov 2008 11:00:00 CST
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A Church That Is Generous
As God opens our hearts toward Him, He also opens our hearts toward others. One of the first places that the early believers' new relationship with Christ showed itself was in their relationship with money.
Scripture reference: Acts 2:43-47
Sun, 02 Nov 2008 09:15:00 CST
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A Church That Worships
Worship is always a response. We celebrate the fact that God has acted and revealed Himself before in history. From that, we hold out the hope that He will act again among us. We believe that God acts and reveals every day. Therefore, every day we have the opportunity to respond in worship.
Scripture reference: Acts 2:43-47
Sun, 26 Oct 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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A Church That Studies the Word
While there are a lot of great books out there, nothing should replace the study of Scripture as a central feature of our faith. This week, we'll look at how the early church studied the Hebrew Scriptures and the apostles' teachings. While many of us know that the Bible is important, few us truly understand how to study and then apply it to the challenges and opportunities we face every day. This week, we'll see how early Christ-followers made God's truth the foundation for their lives.
Scripture reference: Acts 5:42
Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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A Church That Prays
"Pray as if nothing of eternal value happens unless God does it." This saying has been around for generations. In Acts, we see the early church relied on the power of prayer to give them strength. Their prayers were for more than personal needs, but "thy kingdom come" kind of prayers that acknowledged the sovereignty of God, even amidst their greatest fears. If we're to become a great church, then we have to become one that is fueled and driven by the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer.
Scripture reference: Acts 4:23-31
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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A Church Where People Come to Know Christ
Too many times we get caught up in "doing church" -- meetings, programs, events -- that we forget the great work of the church is bringing people to Christ. When someone does come to Christ, we are surprised. In Acts, we are told that the early church saw people make decisions to follow Christ every day. If that is the pattern set for us, then why don't we expect it to happen here?
Scripture reference: Acts 2:41-42, 47b
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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Going in Service
The role of the church is to confront those issues that keep people from
standing up or realizing their dignity. What hinders them -- an addiction, a
past, an institution, a person, a lie? The message of the gospel is, "Jesus
sent me here with the truth and the power that will free you."
Scripture reference: Acts 3:1-10
Sun, 28 Sep 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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Growing in Discipleship
The purpose of growing in discipleship is not knowledge, but life change. It's not about getting smarter; rather, it's about aligning your life with the teachings of Jesus. Paul gives us the formula: offer your body + renew your mind = change in the way you live.
Scripture reference: Romans 12:1-21
Sun, 21 Sep 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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Grounded in Worship
We live from the divine encounter. Every act of our lives is a response to the Christ who comes to us. Are you a worshipper?
Scripture reference: Acts 26:19
Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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Connecting to Christ
Young Samuel didn't yet know the voice of God, so he didn't recognize God was calling him until Eli pointed it out. But Eli knew what was happening because he had a history with God. God is working and speaking all the time, but unconnected people don't recognize Him.
Connectors are people like Eli—those who know and recognize God, which is evident in their lives. However, this is the thing that stops many of us from being connectors. We don't feel that we know God well enough to say, "This is God," to the Samuels around us.
Then there are many of us who may have connected with God long ago, but the connection has become loose. We are no longer grounded in worship, growing in our discipleship, and therefore we're not going in service to look for connections.
If you have an ongoing, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ, you're a connector. But you can't be a connector if you're not connected. It's really that simple. So ask yourself: am I connected?
Scripture reference: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:00:00 CDT
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